A new study published in the prestigious international medical journal Spine indicates that spinal injection therapy used to treat subacute and chronic low back pain has questionable effectiveness and lacks research evidence. Researchers reviewed 18 previously conducted trials on spinal injections to the epidural area, joints of the spine as well as injections into the spinal muscles. Injections consisted of a variety of drugs including corticosteroids and local anesthetics. Authors of the study stated, "Overall, the results indicated that there is no strong evidence for or against the use of any type of injection therapy." Furthermore they concluded, "There is insufficient evidence to support the use of injection therapy in subacute and chronic low back pain."

New research indicates that approximately one in four individuals suffering and recovering from acute (occurring suddenly) low back pain will have another episode of low back pain within the subsequent 12 months. Worse yet, predicting which individuals will likely have a recurrence is extremely difficult. This is why most chiropractic experts recommend not only getting yourself immediately checked out when back pain arises, but additionally recommend periodic spinal checkups to ensure your spine remains healthy, ultimately reducing the risk of spinal injury and back pain in the future.

Researchers have discovered happiness is not solely dependent upon oneself, but is partly dependent on who we surround ourselves with. Hanging around with happy people as well as having a larger social connection is associated with being happier. It appears that happiness rubs off on others you're around and the more happy people you're around, the more likely you are to be happy and the happier you are. Researchers even went as far as to quantify happiness. According to their statistics, each happy person you have social contact with increases the odds of being happy by 15 percent. On the other hand, for each unhappy person you have social contact with your odds of being happy are reduced by 6 percent. Since happiness is associated with reduced mortality, reduced pain and improved cardiac function, it seems important to surround yourself with happy people!

It appears American adults are enjoying their meals and snacks a little more than they have in years past. According to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), 34 percent of Americans are obese and 33 percent are simply overweight. This means in America, there are more "obese" adults than "overweight" adults. While data comes from 2005-2006 surveys, these are the most up-to-date statistics from the NCHS. Data from 1988-1994 surveys found 33 percent of American overweight and 23 percent obese. Thus, the percentage of those American adults considered obese have risen dramatically. Body mass index (BMI), a calculation of weight in kilograms divided by the height in meters squared, is what's used to classify individuals as overweight, obese and morbidly obese. An adult with a BMI of 25 to 29 is considered overweight while a BMI of 30 to 40 is considered obese. To calculate your own BMI, visit the NCHS at http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/.